4 answers

Biting and Bruised/Bleeding Nipples - She Has Teeth!

My almost 11-month-old has started biting while nursing, and I really feel like I'm at the end of my rope at the moment.

She has two bottom teeth and just got 4 top teeth in very quickly. She's also getting over an ear infection, and though she started biting (generally) with the teething, the breastfeeding biting seemed to start with the cold/ear infection. On Friday, it was very, very bad. She kept not only biting but clamping down and then sliding/scraping off. Every time she bites, I've been saying loudly "no bite!" and stopping the nursing. On Friday, it was very bad at nap time and I was really trying to get her to sleep, so I repeatedly put her back on to try again. I also spent a little while stroking her head and repeating "gentle" to get her to understand how to be gentle. In the end, she didn't nurse that afternoon.

So now I have two extremely sore nipples. They're both very bruised (purple spots) and bleeding a little. I'm really not ready to be done nursing, and I know she isn't; she's never had formula or successfully taken a bottle. I've been trying the last couple of days to offer a teether before nursing so she has something to bite if she wants to. And until this afternoon, it was better. Then she bit again. It's unbelievable to me. I cried for a solid hour last night while she nursed because of the pain--and that was no biting, just soreness. I curl my toes and take deep breaths during pain that goes all the way to my stomach.

So any suggestions for stopping the biting? Any ideas for helping the pain and the bruising? I had some bleeding when my first son was brand-new but this biting with teeth is something else. I can really use any and all advice. Thanks!

What can I do next?

So What Happened?™

Thanks so much for all the terrific ideas! She hasn't bitten me again for a few days, but if she does, I'll try the pushing the face in. If I can force her to let go, then I don't have to deal with the pain of removing her.

I took some ibuprofin and have used some ice, and it's feeling a lot better. And I got the Lansinoh last night; that stuff is expensive, so I'm glad to hear it has so many uses! I was really feeling at a loss and in such tremendous pain; I'm glad this doesn't mean I have to wean. I should have clarified that she does drink water from a sippy cup, but for the nursing experience and the comfort sucking, a bottle would be the alternative, and that hasn't gone well when we've tried. I nursed my first for 13 months and my second for 15 months, and I'm hoping to go 15 or so this time. I'm glad things are looking like we can!

More Answers

Saying "no" and stopping nursing are the two best things you could do. You could try different nursing positions to see if that discourages biting. You could also give her Hyland's Teething Tablets like a half hour before she nurses. That will help if she is biting due to her teeth/gums being irritated.

You can ice your nipples and take ibuprofen to help with the pain you already have.

Honestly, if it was me, I'd be thinking it was time to start weaning. You say your daughter never took a bottle, but she's at an age where she could have a cup or sippy cup anyway. Good luck.

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Another way of handling biting while breastfeeding is to pull baby in towards you when she bites in addition to saying no. It's supposed to startle them into letting go. Because her nose would be pressed into you, she'd be forced to open her mouth without pulling her head back and causing more damage to your already pained body! My daughter bit me a few times and it seemed to work for us.

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I just posted a question right before yours - same scenario. Hopefully someone can help us and our little biters!

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K.,
This may not help... but... I went through the same thing when my son was 11 months... I'm pretty sure I put a similar post to yours up here on Mamasource.

You have good suggestions regarding pain (ibuprofin, cool compress). I'd also put some lansinol on them to help them heal faster (the stuff you use when you have sore nipples at the beginning).

I will say, that I did keep nursing and he out grew it in a couple weeks. It was related to teething for him, so once his teeth came in, he stopped. Something that helped was to rock him until he was nearly sleeping, then once he was kind of out of it, slip my nipple in and let him nurse to sleep. My son never took a bottle either, so I felt I didn't have an option other than weaning, which I wasn't ready for (and he really wasn't either). We ended up nursing till 17 months.

Good luck, and good for you for nursing.

Jessica
SAHM to Charlie (3 1/2) Joey (2) and Rebecca (2 months).

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